Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for a digital ARC of Don't Let Him In.

I gave this 3 stars, but wish I could round up to 3.5! I was captivated the whole time and finished this in two days. I liked this one better than her last, but I did not rate it higher simply because there really wasn't much mystery/thrill/suspense. Yes, there were a few plot twists, but overall I wanted more things that kept me guessing. I will say the characterization was very well done, as was the writing.

I very much enjoyed "Watching You" and "Then She Was Gone" by Lisa Jewell and had high hopes for this book. While it was not disappointing, I didn't love it at much as the other books I've read by her. I would give this release a 3.5/5 if I could give half stars. This was an easy read that flowed well. Many women, all strangers to one another, but all caught in the same web by the same perfect man with all the perfect words and excuses. It was a very similar story from woman to woman throughout the book and the suspense of him being caught kept me sucked in. The women in the web... well I often had to ask, which one is this again, because they all seemed very much the same in personality, character, etc. which kind of made it boring. I was hoping for a huge plot twist at the end, and while there is a twist it was mostly predictable and not anything breath taking. Worth the read just for the satisfying ending.

Lisa Jewell is one of my favorite thriller authors. Something about her books just pull me in and don’t let go. No matter what, I’m going to find her books to be well-written page-turners. That said, this was not my favorite of hers. It was fine! But I wasn’t blown away. There wasn’t some big twist in the end. The story and characters were solid, but there weren’t the twists and turns found in her other books. Very middle of the road Lisa Jewell for me. Still can’t wait to see what she does next!

I am super thrilled to have received an ARC of this book from NetGalley, Lisa Jewell and Atria books! Many thanks.

I’m pretty stingy with my 5 star reviews and early on I was a little worried about this book keeping my interest but I’m glad I pushed on.

There are many many characters and for a bit I struggled to keep up with who was who and who went with each family. It does become much clearer as the book goes on though and all comes together in the end.

This book had me feeling all the feels. Anger for the women, sadness and wanting justice for Jessica’s character, the naivety of Martha’s character and omg did I want to ring the neck of ‘Nick’s’ character.

It was a moderately paced book because so much was happening and I had to work hard to keep up. This was a good thing though because I tend to speed read through books that don’t hold my interest.

I felt like I was playing detective along with Ash’s character.

Highly recommend

5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Don't Let Him In by Lisa Jewell: 2 stars 😢

After Ash's father, Paddy Swann, is killed after being pushed in front of a train, the family is absolutely devastated. Not too long after Paddy is laid to rest, Ash and her mother Nina receive a package of a keepsake that supposedly belonged to Paddy from his old pal Nick Ratcliffe. Ash was rightfully suspicious of Nick from the jump because Nick is not who he says he is at all. The women in "Nick's" life from the past a present become fed up and finally do something about it.

You are drawn in to this story because you will want to know what happens with Nick while he is playing these women.

I love me some Lisa Jewell but this was not it!

This story was not executed as flawlessly as it could have and went on for much longer than necessary. I could not keep up at first because too much was going on. I was disappointed the entire read.

I need someone else to read this and then come back to me because there is no way I read what I just read.

Thank you @atriabooks and @netgalley for this advanced reader's coy in exchange for my honest review.

Publication Date: June 24, 2025

#bookreview #lisajewell #dontlethimin #arc #netgalley

In a word, brilliant! DON"T LET HIM IN is a domestic thriller that is gripping, compulsive, and at times disturbing. Jewell's character development is incredible—she deftly handles a large cast and this is where she excels. Her writing is clever, tense, and riveting. I could not put this book down!

Chock-full of secrets, obsessions, and misconceptions, this is Jewell at her finest and I highly recommend this book. In fact, this will be one of the top thrillers of the year.

Lisa Jewell you have done it again. I could have read this in one sitting if life would’ve allowed it. I was on the edge of my seat, jaw on the floor, chills, all of the reactions too many times to count. The protagonist was so truly unlikable, but did nothing but enhanced the reading experience.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for a digital ARC of Don't Let Him In.

I gave this 3 stars, but wish I could round up to 3.5! I was captivated the whole time and finished this in two days. I liked this one better than her last, and it's up there with some of my other favorites of hers, but I didn't give more stars because there really wasn't much mystery/thrill/suspense. Yes, there were a few plot twists, but overall I wanted more things that kept me guessing. I will say the characterization was very well done, as was the writing.

The plot of Don't Let Him In was intriguing. An old "friend" of Nina's late husband appears in her life just in time to help her grieve and manages to win her heart at the same time. Her daughter Ash, however, is wary of Nick, her dad's former friend, and does some investigating. Through Nick's narration and those of other women in his life, we learn how sneaky he is and how he preys on women. He was a thoroughly creepy character and the ending had some twists I didn't quite see coming. However, I think the book would have been more suspenseful and interesting if we didn't get Nick's narration until the end. I would have liked to have been kept guessing longer as to whether he was up to good or not.

A psychological thriller at it's finest, I think this is Lisa Jewell's best book thus far. The character development of Nick was amazing, his unreliable narration was spot on, and aside from all the fictional devious acts he committed, this felt quite realistic. I think we all have seen Nickisms in various people we know or meet, people who spin stories from truth, who charm and manipulate to get what they want, hiding what they truly are in plain sight, not feeling bad at all because it's never their fault. Great over-the-top fiction which feels quite uncomfortably truthful.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I read this book in ONE sitting but I absolutely LOVED and DEVOURED this book. It was fun, exciting, dark, devious, cunning, clever, menacing and very, very disturbing.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️(4.75/5)
A huge thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for providing an advanced digital copy of "Don't Let Him In"!!

Lisa Jewell has once again proven why she is one of my favorite (and everyone elses) thriller/mystery authors. This is a gripping book woven with lies, deceit, missing people, murder, and more. Her ability to keep readers glued to her stories while delivering crazy twists is truly remarkable.

“Don’t Let Him In” centers around the lives of various women, all connected by a man whose presence looms largely over them. The narrative unfolds in a nonlinear fashion, featuring multiple narrators, which initially made it a bit challenging for me to grasp the storyline. However, once I got a handle on the characters and their intertwining lives, I was completely hooked.

One of the standout elements of this book is Jewell's portrayal of a psycho/narcissistic man and the women who find themselves entangled in his web. From the beginning, the red flags are evident to a couple characters yet invisible to others, and it’s a poignant reminder of the warning signs that so many women likely encounter in their own lives.

The ending of "Don't Let Him In" left me with a sense of satisfaction that is rare for me in thrillers. The story wrapped up beautifully, providing closure while still leaving me in awe of the journey I had just experienced.

I can’t help but envision this story as a movie or a show; it has all the elements of a captivating visual narrative. This is undoubtedly a must-read for any Lisa Jewell fan, and I am eagerly looking forward to her US book tour in 2025. If you enjoy thrillers that keep you on the edge of your seat, "Don't Let Him In" is a book you won't want to miss!

Thank you @atriabooks #partner for the gifted eARC!

I am going to apologize for the absurdly early review but what’s a girl to do when she gets approved for a Lisa Jewell book? Well, it’s not a hard decision. She drops everything and reads it! And I am dancing the whole way as I add those 5 golden stars in my goodreads review!

Lisa’s books are always unputdownable and this one was no exception! She writes characters that are deplorable, disgraceful, deviants and corrupt and there is nothing more I’d rather do than grab my blanket, a glass of water and sit down for the long haul! The villain in this book is someone you want to see die a slow and tortuous death but Lisa keeps letting him slip away! It is so gloriously terrible I loved every minute of it. 😂 This book is dark and Lisa links together a group of women and one terrible man. Watching it all come together was so incredibly addicting. I accidental read this in one sitting. 👀 I can’t honestly decide which of her books is my favorite but this one is in the running for it being her best yet! Highly, highly recommend this one! It comes out in June so in the meantime read her backlist! 🎉

Unfortunately this book was underwhelming for me. I went in thinking it was going to be a fast paced thriller like her other novels. I think people will be less disappointed if they are aware this is not a thriller and more of a drama! I did really enjoy the short chapters and multiple POV. If this story was less repetitive I would have enjoyed it more. Thank you for the ARC!

Thanks to Net Galley for this e-arc.

Wow I did not like this book. I have been a fan of Lisa Jewell's previous books but I think this is her worst one yet.

The premise was interesting but the execution did not work. For a thriller, this book was incredibly boring and predictable. The story was incredibly repetitive. We did not need to hear the story from multiple perspectives - nothing new was added in the perspective shifts. The book could have been drastically shortened.

All of the women blend together - nothing is distinctive or unique about them - meaning none of the characters are worth investing in - I just honestly didn't care. The "him" in this story was a caricature, laughably bad.

I would recommend choosing one of Jewell's other books before picking this up.

I devoured this book in one sitting. Lisa Jewell has a way to keep the twists coming and going, and “Don’t Let Him In” was like riding a roller coaster. Normally, I can’t stand multi-narrator books, but Lisa Jewell did it with such finesse & thought, that I stayed captivated on every chapter, soaking in the details and clues, and yet still managed to be surprised with every new twist and turn. And all of the players & the crazy story lines, finish beautifully, tied up in a pink gift box.

This book was amazing and I really don’t have any negative feedback what so ever. It held my interest and kept me up late wanting to finish it! I loved the whole thing.

Ok wow! I have no words! This book was a wild ride! At page 300 I still had no idea who the hell Nick was! Lisa jewell is a master thriller storyteller! I finished this in 24 hours and I’m still shaking my head and my mouth is still open !

A quick read that kept me turning the pages of this domestic thriller. It took me a bit to get the various women and their story lines sorted out. I didn't find any of the characters particularly likable - many were quite frustrating, and the "him" was just insufferable (though I acknowledge all of this served the plot). Some twists were predictable, others left me pleasantly surprised.

Wow, just wow. This was a rollercoaster of a ride. The villain in this dark thriller was certainly one I can hate with all my being. The only down side was it was a little repetitive at times, but it helped show the debauchery inside the villain's thinking. Would highly recommend.